Sunday, 4 March 2012

Well, spring is in the air, the snowdrops are gambolling in the meadows, the lambs are thrusting their little noses up through the earth, and the rabbits... I don't know what the rabbits are doing. Something springish. Cleaning, maybe. Anyway, what all this means for me is that it's about time I organised another run of my sort-of-secret-unless-you-read-this-blog sketch nights, to try out material for the next series of my Radio 4 show, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme.

So... I have done. Unfortunately, the pub we used last year has turned its performance space into a restaurant, the food-crazed fools; but I've found another I think will be even better: the excellent Priory Tavern in Kilburn. So, do please come along, if you fancy it, to John Finnemore's Priory Engagement; 8pm every other Sunday starting in two weeks time, on the 18th March. Each show will be completely different material, mostly written in the fortnight before. It'll be about an hour and a half long, including interval, costs £7, and is suitable for ages 12 and up. Last year's run featured Jekyll and Hyde's domestic arrangements; what The Archers sounds like to people who don't listen to The Archers, and the chilling tale of the man who went for a walk... and saw a goat. What this year's will feature, I literally do not yet know.

As an experiment to try to avoid people having to pay the ridiculous booking fees which were such a feature last year, I've put a list up here you can go to to book seats for the first three performances. There are only 80 seats per show, so do please take your name off again if it turns out you can't come.

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comments:

Bean
said...

Five year diary being consulted plus working out the military-like logistics for travelling from Essex to Kilburn and back on a Sunday evening courtesy of British Rail and London Transport, bless their cotton socks. The Little Train That Could- I hope!

Bother! I wish I still lived in the UK. There's nothing exciting live over here in Canada - everything exciting is dead and displayed as a hunting trophy. I'm so envious of people who live in Britain. They have decent telly, proper radio, nice food etc. and from what I gather, they aren't grateful for it!

Another person who can't afford the fare and can't do the journey on a Sunday evening, sorry. However, I don't think you'll be short of an audience! Wish you every success and we'll look forward to hearing the broadcasts.

indeed veej, "john may well have difficulty filling 80 seats, what with him being totally unknown, and all" I can hear douglas saying that. Is there a ballot for cabin pressure tickets? I assumed it was just ticket unit applications, you can see Ive never been to any shows ever and have no clue cant you :-(

You're right, Anonymous, it is ticket unit applications but also a ballot in that I think they are allocated "first come, first served". You never know your luck though, I applied last year never expecting any results but was amazed & thrilled to get tickets for what turned out to be "Rotterdam".

Would hope on the first plane out of this desolate wasteland! Alas, am broke like the uni student I am and am on the other side of the world in Australia! Can't wait for the broadcasts though! Hope you have heaps of fun writing and performing them! :D

In comparison to some, Oxfordshire is positively close and yes, we'll be there, although sadly only on one of the nights. I'm hoping to bring at least 3 others so you better be good Mr. F or there'll be trouble.No pressure then!!p.s. we now play yellow car on foot too, how sad is that.

anonymous in hull is almost weeping too, I like the way some of them keep reappearing, could mr C be giving too much pronunciation to his name cos its his :-). This one is particularly garbled"has finally come about as much influence" he's in there somewhere I promise.

Good luck writing and trying out the new material! Should be hilarious, based on the first series.

As an aside, if we in the US want to see the show, then surely it's time for us to bring John over here? If we book a theatre in the middle of the country, like Wichita, then the most anyone has to drive is 1500 miles! (OK, 1800 from Maine or Seattle.) Who's in?

I live far, far away, but I'm actually spending the week around the 1st of April in the UK. In Sussex. An hour from London. I could easily come. But of course that one date is booked out already. My luck!

Well, I'll try to not let that get me down and instead think of all the times this blog and your radio shows have made me insanely happy.

Wow, you know what is incredibly awkward? Trying to be sneaky and being to stupid to do so. As in slipping your e-mail adress in in your comment showing how desperate you are for a ticket, in hope someone will take pity on you and give you their ticket if they can't come or something. Which of course is all silly enough, but then typing your old, invalid e-mail adress tops it all.

And I guess owning up to it, doesn't make the whole thing any less stupid, silly or desperate. But there you go, that's fan-girlishness for you.

cai, you could hope that perhaps sarah keenan might be one person, but perhaps they are not, good luck, i did consider going to that show, but the cost of the trip was £60 just in train and overnight in a youth hostel. best wishes anon in Hull

Thanks, Anon, that's kind :)But you know, I didn't quite expect to really get tickets. That would have been really too much of a very happy coincidence. Actually I think I was one of the first people to check for that date who didn't get a ticket, so I can relish in the idea that I got incredibly close. I think I'm alright with that :)How does the expression go? You lose some... don't you?

Very wise ;)

Oh well, I'll try and stop being whiny and annoying now.And to be fair, life and the world are actually quite lovely to me at the moment. It's lovely and sunny outside and I saw my first bumblebee of the year today AND I am going to England in a few weeks. So, life is good.Not that anyone is actually interested in that. I'll shut up now. Sorry people. (Maybe I should give in and get myself a tumblr or something.)Bye to all you lovely people and huge thanks again to you, Mr. Finnemore :)

anon in hull is listening to unbelieveable truth on this mp3 player, im up to the john finnemore script ones, that means..... duh duh duhhhhhh that the 13 cabin pressures must be very close, swoon. There are 45 unbelievables so in fact I am managing my finnemore/cumberbatch habit with a hugs slab of laughing out loud at other stuff in shops, archive offices, on buses, trains etc in between